“We’re talking about people having teeth taken out, about people having to go under general anaesthesia for operations, the problems of people having to take time off work or children being out of school – all these things are helped, not just decay levels.”

But campaigners insist fluoride is dangerous, and adding it to tap water could lead to serious health problems.

“The information currently on offer is inadequate, biased and even untrue,” said Ann Richards, of Hampshire Against Fluoridation.

“Fluoride proponents rely largely for their misinformation on the British Fluoridation Society, which in the 1980s gave its longterm aim as fluoridation of all water supplies’ and wants manufacturers to promote fluoride on their products.

“This is simply not evenhanded and people should not believe everything they are told by health authorities.”